Japanese symbol for “flow”
流れ
ながれ
Romaji: nagare
flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current
In Japanese, flow is 流れ, read ながれ (nagare).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current
- n flow (of people, things); passage (of time); tide; passing; (changing) trends; tendency
- n course (of events); (step-by-step) procedure; process
- n group of people who remain together after the end of an event
- n descent; ancestry; school
- n forfeiture; foreclosure (finc)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “flow”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 流動 | りゅうどう ryuudou | flow |
| 出る | でる deru | to flow (e.g. tears); to run; to bleed |
| 続き | つづき tsuzuki | flow (e.g. of a piece of writing); pacing (of a story) |
| 流れる | ながれる nagareru | to stream; to flow (liquid, time, etc.); to run (ink) |
| フロー | フロー furoo | flow |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
| 流行 | りゅうこう ryuukou | fashion; trend; vogue |
| 流通 | りゅうつう ryuutsuu | circulation (of money, goods, etc.); distribution |
| 流し | ながし nagashi | sink (e.g. in a kitchen) |
| 流す | ながす nagasu | to drain; to pour; to run |
See also: Chinese symbol for “flow”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.